Powers/Abilities: Anskar did not appear to
have any
unusual abilities, although he is a persuasive individual, able to get
a crowd
behind him. He was able to fire a blast from his staff capable of
stunning Thundra, though it is not known if the power came from him or
from his
staff.

History:
(Avengers I#358 (fb)) - The world of Polemachus faced an unprecedented danger
when the energy rings that gave the world life began to flare out of
control. In desperation, the masses, led by a priest named Anskar, turned to the
ancient ways of Polemachus for an answer, and decided to appease the gods
through a human sacrifice. All of the daughters of the noble families were
gathered, and Astra was chosen by Anskar to be sacrificed to the gods. However,
Thundra and Arkon, rulers of Polemachus, believed that human sacrifice was
barbaric, and took Astra and fled to Earth.

(Avengers I#358) - Upon learning that Arkon, Thundra, and
Astra had fled and were nowhere to be found, Anskar naturally assumed
(correctly) that they had fled to the planet Earth for refuge. Anskar located
Arkon, Thundra, and Astra and teleported them back to Polemachus,
unintentionally bringing the Avengers along as well. Anskar imprisoned the
Avengers in an energy field, and struck down Thundra with a blast from his
staff. Anskar tried to persuade Arkon into killing Astra, telling him it was the
only way to quiet the wrath of the gods and the cries of the people. Astra was
once again willing to give up her life if Arkon willed it, but the Vision
managed to convince Anskar and Arkon to give the Avengers twenty-four hours to
try and fix the problems with the energy rings. Anskar hesitantly agreed.

(Avengers I#359) - Anskar continued to whip the masses into a
frenzy, crying for Arkon to save them by sacrificing Astra. Anskar pressured
Arkon to make the sacrifice, asking him if he had gone completely deaf to his
people's cries. However, the Avengers were successful in saving Polemachus by
leeching off the excess energy from the energy rings. The heroes celebrated that
now Astra would not need to be sacrificed, but Anskar had other ideas, and
stabbed Astra in the back, killing her. Anskar claimed that the Avengers had
only succeeded because it was the will of the gods, and the gods still needed
their gift. Then, in a fit of rage, Sersi struck at Anskar and incinerated him
with an energy blast from her eyes.